Champions League T20 2013: Sunrisers Hyderabad - Tactical Analysis, a conundrum and the final verdict

The very idea of dropping Sammy might seem unfair after his heroics last season, but as it turns out, with the conditions nowhere close to what they were in the IPL for the Sunrisers, and with Sammy not known to contribute consistently with the bat, Tom Moody needs a change of strategy.

JP Duminy’s presence would boost the chances of Sunrisers Hyderabad in CLT20 2013

This is why the inclusion of Anand Rajan has been stressed upon, as dropping Sammy leaves the team short of one pace bowling option. You cannot always trust Ishant and Perera to complete their quota.

A top 5 of Shikhar Dhawan, Hanuma Vihari, JP Duminy, Cameron White and Thisara Perera seems more adept at handling the opposition than the one that is diluted by the inclusion of Parthiv Patel and delays Perera stamping his authority upon the game.

If Sunrisers play both Sammy and Perera, they must make sure that both of them get to face a minimum of 20-25 balls each in every game.

Considering that they are more likely to be two down early into the game or for nothing much on the board, I would not entertain the possibility of having two big hitters and Biplab Samantray resurrecting the game.

The Chris Lynn conundrum:

Chris Lynn surely deserves a chance

The non inclusion of Chris Lynn, one of the brightest T20 talents around the world, is perplexing, especially when you are so desperately in need of batting reinforcements. Why would you not want to have in your team someone who has a strike rate of 138.51, along with a healthy average of over 27?

After considering all the points above, the Sunrisers line up should look like this – Shikhar Dhawan, Hanuma Vihari, JP Duminy, Cameron White, Thisara Perera, Ashish Reddy, Parthiv Patel (wk), Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, Anand Rajan, Ishant Sharma.

Parthiv Patel essentially finds a place in the playing eleven only because the team needs a wicket-keeper. Since I would not want him to water down the effectiveness of the batting order by demoting all their best batsmen by one spot, it is better to have him at number 7 and promote him in matches where a victory looks assured.

The choice will have to be made between Ashish Reddy and Karan Sharma based on the nature of the pitch. There would be no real use in playing Karan Sharma on a flat deck while Ashish Reddy’s presence, with his big hitting skills, can come in handy.

However, I see one of Duminy or White getting dropped for Sammy with Samantray and Patel diluting the batting order. This move is most likely to end up spelling doom for Sunrisers’ hopes.

Final Verdict:

An early exit after progressing from the qualification stages.